A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 7 has been added to the main daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 8 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality according to Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

By: Mounir Murad
May 24, 2008

Each year on this day, Daheshists celebrate the birthday anniversary of their Beloved Prophet Dahesh. This year Daheshists will celebrate the 99th birthday anniversary, a little over 24 years since his departure from this world. June 1st is a day of celebration and at the same time a day of remembrance and reflection. If you were present back when Dahesh lived in our midst, you would remember his: beautiful smile, resolute personality, compassionate nature, fatherly love, sense of humor, and charisma. You would also remember his: long days that often translated into sleepless nights, hard work, physical pain, mental anguish resulting from the behavior of certain individuals, and total dedication to his Holy Mission. You would reflect on his: invaluable pieces of advice, constant encouragement, spiritual nurturing, and the impact he made on your life.

Many were the people that came to know our Beloved Prophet, yet very few truly understood and appreciated his true identity or what he represented. What does it mean to be one of a handful of people out of more than 6 billion to have a face-to-face relationship with a Prophet of God? To say that it is a great honor would ...<< MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 7 has been added to the main Daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 7 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality according to Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 6 has been added to the main Daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 6 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality according to Daheshist concepts.

...<< MORE >>

April 9th is a solemn day for Daheshists throughout the globe! It is on this day in 1984 that our Beloved Prophet departed this world and returned to his Lofty Worlds of Paradise. Words can never express the gratitude that we owe him for guiding us towards righteousness, knowledge, and spirituality. He suffered enormously for decades in order to deliver to humanity his universal message of love, brotherhood of man, compassion, faith, and righteousness. On this day we honor him not through lip service, but rather in carrying on what he had started, mainly, the delivery of Daheshism to the world.

For those who are interested in reading more about his death they can click on the following link: The Death of Dahesh


...<< MORE >>

Those who believe in the powers of Dr. Dahesh and his Message also believe that Kahlil Gibran, author of the Prophet, was an envoy that came to Earth in order to pave the way for Daheshism—in the same fashion that John the Baptist came to pave the way for the universal message of Lord Christ. Those who are familiar with the supernatural abilities of Dr. Dahesh also know very well that it is possible for the Spirit to address people through a Prophet or through his Personalities and either verbally or in writing. On May 10, 1942, a Sayyal belonging to the Spirit of Kahlil Gibran revealed to Dr. Dahesh a prose poem titled “The Fog.” The message of this poem is apocalyptic, however, I will leave it up to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.

The Fog

Fog!
Heavy fog surrounds my soul…and restrains it with chains!
Dense fog! In the sky of my life!
It encircles me the way a bracelet encircles the wrist of a beautiful woman!
Beautiful fog! It forms only to dissipate!
Shadows and strange ghosts appear to me from within the fog…
Thousands of fiery eyes glance at me!
This dark fog dissipates only to form again in shades of ...<< MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 2 has been added to the main daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 2 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality according to Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 1 has been added to the main Daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality Part 1 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Turn of Events and Spiritual Causality according to Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

March 23, 1942

In a matter of days, Daheshism will celebrate its 66th anniversary. Those who are not very familiar with the history of Daheshism may wonder how did it all start? The most important thing to understand is that Dr. Dahesh, our Beloved Prophet, had been endowed with supernatural powers and guided by Holy Spirits since childhood. All we need to do is read about his early childhood to realize that. The teachings of Daheshism had always been a part of our Beloved Prophet and many of his early writings mirror what he had taught and written for decades.

The first believer in Daheshism was Youssef el-Hajj, who was also the first to write a book about Dr. Dahesh and Daheshism and the first chronologist of Daheshism. The second chronologist was the famous Lebanese poet, Halim Dammous, while the third and current chronologist is Dr. Ghazi Brax, who is mandated by the Spirit to write the book of Daheshism for current and future generations. Although Dr. Dahesh had been anxiously waiting to proclaim his Message, however, it was not time until March 23, 1942. On this day, the following text is taken from the entries of the first chronologist:

“Miracles of March1942
March ...<< MORE >>

    
      Dr. Fareed Abu Suleiman

Dr. Fareed Abu Suleiman, was one of the early believers in Daheshism—a faith that lit his Soul for over 60 years. He was a giant in Daheshism, yet he was as gentle and as humble as can be. It was on Easter Sunday five years ago that I learned of his departure from this world and every time Easter Sunday approaches, I remember his presence with us and admire his struggle over decades for the sake of our Holy Mission. Five years ago I wrote a tribute to this great man and I feel it is only appropriate to present it to the readers in order to know more about this man.

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A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Spiritual Causality and Divine Justice Part 2 has been added to the main Daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Spiritual Causality and Divine Justice Part 2 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Spiritual Causality and Divine Justice according to Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Spiritual Causality and Divine Justice Part 1 has been added to the main  Daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Spiritual Causality and Divine Justice Part 1 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Spiritual Causality and Divine Justice according to Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) Part 4 has been added to the main  Daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) Part 4 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids): Their meaning, types, activities, and interaction according to
Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

Three Sayings from “Words” By Dr. Dahesh

Saying# 1:
 “Plant evil and you will harvest pain.”

Saying#2:
 “I believe in the existence of Divine Justice and that all the misery and grief in life that are inflicted on us are mere retributions for all the evils and sins that we have committed in our previous life cycles. For this reason, we should accept all the sorrows of life that befell us without complaining or being annoyed. Rather, we should be content with Divine Justice and its noble order.”

Saying#3:
“We, the human race, deserve all the misfortunes that befell us and regardless of their type. For lying conquers our souls; defamation is an inseparable part of who we are; betrayal has an ample space in our hearts; fierce greed blossomed deep within us; ugly arrogance camps his armies in our land; and hypocrisy and its sibling, deception, have settled in the favorite part of our chests. As long as these are our wishes, why should we complain then when calamities and misfortunes pour down on us?”


...<< MORE >>

By the Beloved and Guiding Prophet

On January 1, 1978, our Beloved and Guiding Prophet wrote his traditional ushering in of the New Year. Since then, 30 years passed us by and the state of Daheshism is not any clearer today than it had been then. The only thing that did not and will not change is our resolve to carry forward the wishes of the Divine and those of our Beloved Prophet. It is only fitting to remember what he had written on this day 30 years ago:

My address to the year 1978

O New Year! Hello to you and welcome.

The era of your predecessor had passed, for he is concealed by fate and will remain hidden until Judgment Day.

He is finished and his traces had vanished. What remains is his legacy containing all the important and sad events that had transpired.

The hope that I had in your predecessor in fulfilling my aims had failed and the worry that I felt throughout his days had exacted its toll on me and made me exhausted.

A day would be born and a day would die, in the interim, I am counting its hours and keeping track of its minutes and with hope drawing ...<< MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) Part 3 has been added to the main  Daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) Part 3 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids): Their meaning, types, activities, and interaction according to
Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

By: Mounir Murad
November 24, 2007

How wonderful it is when:
A child smiles at you and your heart melts away!
You love someone and this someone truly loves you.
You give freely and the recipient appreciates your giving.
You help someone, ask for no rewards, and receive an acknowledgment.
You treat someone with respect and this someone counters your respect.
You are happy for someone’s joy and sad for someone’s anguish and the feeling is mutual.
You accept the individuality of people and they accept yours.
You appreciate the personal freedoms of others and they appreciate yours.
You understand and appreciate diversity and the entire world feels the same way.
You want to share every moment of your life with a lover and this lover responds with: “How noble of you!”
.
.
.

How horrible it is when:
A child smiles at you, yet you do not reciprocate with a genuine smile.
You love someone, yet this someone does not love you or pretends to love you!
You give freely and the recipient considers you a fool, yet continues to take advantage of your good nature.
You help someone and receive a stab in the back.
You treat someone with respect, yet this someone treats you with insults and indignations.
You are happy for someone’s joy and sad for someone’s ...<< MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) Part 2 has been added to the main  Daheshism.com Website.

The booklet Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) Part 2 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids): Their meaning, types, activities, and interaction according to
Daheshist concepts. ...<< MORE >>

What follows are brief reflections on a very private funeral involving my physical self and my soul as the only participants in the procession. No one else is invited! Inside the casket lies a part of my soul that has recently been poisoned by the cruelty of man! There has been several of these funerals in my life and with every occurrence, a chapter in my soul’s journey is finished and is sent to the Eternal Publisher, where the stage is set for another chapter yet to be written and awaits the arrival of my soul. My soul has grown tired and I am sure it won’t be long before its remaining parts depart this world and with their departure comes liberation. My soul will be free to journey into the unknown to finish the unwritten chapters under different circumstances. With my soul’s demise, I will be lost to oblivion! It is a desirable outcome!

This particular procession is very special and has been in motion for several months and soon it will have to end so that I can lay this part of my soul to rest. I must be very careful in making sure that the burial takes place ...<< MORE >>

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By Mounir Murad

I have written about the position of Daheshism with respect to naturism (nudity) in a previous essay. Does this mean that nudity in art is counter to Daheshist teachings? The answer is absolutely not. There is a major distinction between human nudity and nudity in most art. Dahesh, our Beloved and Guiding Prophet, was an art lover and in his collection there are many paintings and sculptures with nude figures. He also commissioned many paintings with nude figures as well. This essay will address the distinction between human nudity and nudity in art from the Daheshist perspective with information derived from a column published in Dahesh Voice issue 1, Summer 2002, by Dr. Ghazi Brax.

What makes an artist an artist? The common human explanation is talent. But what is talent? In Daheshism, talent is a manifestation of a certain Sayyal (Spiritual Fluid) that extends to a specific individual on earth a specific skill derived from a lofty world of Paradise. Dr. Dahesh was very interested in scientists, philosophers, and literary and visual artists from all periods, because according to him, they are the builders of civilization and responsible for its modernization. In essence, they are special envoys to ... << MORE >>

Is there a Daheshist Sabbath?

Daheshism does not call for any specific day dedicated to rest and worship--as in Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. However, Daheshism calls for Monday evenings to be a time for congregation, where several sections from the New Testament along with certain Daheshist prayers and texts are read. Please see the details of the Daheshist Rituals on www.daheshism.com

What did Dr. Dahesh say about eating animals, or vegetarianism?

Dr. Dahesh did not prohibit the eating of meats, however, his diet was mostly vegetarian. He did occasionally eat certain meats. The reason why he preferred fruits and vegetables to meats has to do with the Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) of the food. Daheshists are aware that the Sayyals of fruits and vegetables are better than those of meats and those Sayyals merge into the body of the individual ingesting them.

Kahlil Gibran was the forerunner to Dr. Dahesh just as John the Baptist was the forerunner to Jesus Christ. Gibran wrote the following about food in his wonderful book, "The Prophet:"

"Would that you could live on the fragrance of the earth, and like an air plant be sustained by the light.

But since you must kill to eat, and rob the ... << MORE >>

By Mounir Murad

Recently, there have been certain references online to issues where it is claimed that Daheshism encourages, tolerates, or condones, such as naturism (nudism). As more information is published and presented, there will be very little doubt about where Daheshism stands with respect to such issues. In this essay, I will address the position of Daheshism with respect to naturism.

How is “Naturism” defined? According to the Webster dictionary, it is defined as:
1-    Naturalism: action, inclination, or thought based only on natural desires and instincts.
2-    Naturalism: a theory denying that an event or object has a supernatural significance. Specific: the doctrine that scientific laws are adequate to account for all phenomenon.
3-    Nudism

Anyone who is vaguely familiar with Daheshism will realize that one of its fundamental doctrines is the link between behavior and “Sayyals” (Spiritual Fluids). There are no natural inclinations or thoughts devoid of spiritual consequences. When a man desires a woman there are consequences. “But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Naturism defined as Naturalism is contradictory to the fundamental teachings of Daheshism.

“As soon as ... << MORE >>

A booklet on Daheshist Ideology: Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) Part 1 has been added to the main Daheshism Website.

The booklet Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) Part 1 can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids): Their meaning, types, activities, and interaction according to
Daheshist concepts....<< MORE >>

Valid comments were made pertaining to the Daheshist Rituals booklet and as a result, changes were made. The revised text is highlighted in Red for visibility. The revised booklet can be downloaded from the main Daheshism website.

The booklet Daheshist Rituals can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

Thank you!
...<< MORE >>

Is the glass half full or half empty? It all depends upon the viewer of that glass! Islamic Jihadists commit horrific acts of terror and in their own mind (point of view) they are doing the right thing and they will be rewarded for it! Politicians argue about issues and most believe in the appropriateness of their point of view. A person views another person as evil, while another sees that person as wonderful. A person reading a chapter in the Bible and interprets it differently from anther person. Just about everything in this world is viewed in different ways depending on the perspective of those involved.  For those that had the opportunity to learn about Daheshism, it becomes clear to them that the perspectives that each individual holds are relative to the kind and level of Sayyals (Spiritual Fluids) that they possess. An elaborate chapter exploring Sayyals will be posted very shortly on the main website. I will post an announcement once it is posted.

Many years ago, I was asked by a friend to describe my impressions of a certain place. It turned out that my impressions were completely opposite to those of my friend. To explain my ...<< MORE >>

Three new Booklets have been added to the main Daheshism website:

The first booklet deals with the Daheshist Rituals and is provided in a PDF format so that you can view, download, and print.
The booklet Daheshist Rituals can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

The second booklet is a step-by-step instructions of how to write and burn the Daheshist Holy Ramz. There is a short Quicktime® movie to accompany this booklet.
The booklet Holy Ramz can also be viewed here in PDF Format.

The third booklet is Lights Upon Dr. Dahesh and Daheshism by Dr. Ghazi Brax.
The booklet Lights Upon Dahesh can also be viewed here in PDF Format.
...<< MORE >>

Some of the comments on "Is it all in the face" prompted me to post this poem that I have written about the same period as the other one.

People use the word friend very loosely. I am told by many that I expect too much of people and that I should lower my expectations if I want to enjoy life. Although I could easily do that, I feel that I would be violating my principles. In an attempt to express my feelings about friendship, I wrote the following poem:

Friendship

Only the fool utters the word friendship with confidence.
I personally pronounce it with the utmost hesitance.

Some claim to have experienced it many times, says the herald.
It is not as common as sand, and not as rare as emerald.

But even rare things can be found somewhere in existence,
And I have yet to find it or its single thread of evidence.

Then it must be ...<< MORE >>

As we approach Independence Day, I ran across a prose poem that I wrote a decade ago titled “Is it all in the face?” At that time, I was naïve in many ways and sadly enough and as much as I thought I have wised-up, I remained naïve. I allowed my emotions and not my logic control my life. As a consequence, I have suffered tremendously and I am fully to blame because I have read what Dahesh wrote about certain issues, yet I chose not to take his words and had to find out for myself the hard way.

I expected “true” friendship to exist in this world, yet I saw only fragments of its existence. Here is what Dahesh wrote about friendship followed by my prose poem:

“O innocent friendship, by God, inform me in what horizon do you dwell [exist]?”

“When you begin to doubt the closest of people to you, only then that you begin to understand the truths of the universe and its hidden secrets.”

“I used to think that I have found a loyal friend and companion who is free of any ulterior motives and interests, however soon after, I was shocked by the horrific reality and I ...<< MORE >>

       Dahesh
   (1909-1984)

The last time I saw Dahesh alive was in the New York area shortly after his lengthy visit to India, some time around the fall of 1983. He was suffering at that time from severe back pain, and seeing him suffer was painful and depressing to me.  Dahesh was a father to me, even though my biological father was still alive. I was never close to my biological father, and I had very few things in common with him. Yes, I respected and loved him, but spiritually and behaviorally we were at odds.  Dahesh was my spiritual father, and if it weren't for him, I would not have become the person I am now. Without the influence of Dahesh, my life would have been materialistic, spiritually dead, and full of the "worldly pleasures" that make up the facade of life on Earth.

In 1983, I was 24 years old, naive and inexperienced in life.  Dahesh talked to me then about issues whose full meaning and impact on my life I have only recently come to understand. When I read his writings, I imagine him addressing me in person. I see him as a powerful figure, ...<< MORE >>

One day, I woke from a late afternoon nap feeling very disoriented. It was around dusk, and the sun's rays were fading. Without thought, I immediately stood and found myself positioned directly in front of the dresser mirror. There would have been nothing unusual about this scenario had it not been accompanied by a bizarre feeling of estrangement and melancholy. At that moment, I felt as if I were a stranger to myself! I assure you that the face I saw in the mirror was not the face of some other person or entity. It was the same face I had seen in the mirror every day of my life for as long as I could recall. Yes, it had changed over the years, and I recalled vaguely the face of a child and how it had transformed slowly to that of a man in mid-life. Yet the appearance of my face at that moment was not the issue or the mystery; instead, it was what that face represented.

Who am I? What am I? Why am I here? I have no idea why those questions ...<< MORE >>

It is not a coincidence that I was born in Bethlehem, the city of David and the birth city of Jesus Christ. I am not saying this to draw comparisons between the great Prophets and myself, but rather to show that things in life happen for reasons and purposes that are far beyond our calculations or comprehension. For an individual to be born and raised in a specific place it is because in this place there are certain spiritual elements (known in Daheshism as Sayyalat or Spiritual Fluids) left there from previous reincarnation(s) that belong to this individual. The house that I grew-up in happened to be the same house that Dahesh lived in back when he lived in Bethlehem in the 1930’s. Furthermore, Dahesh’s cousin who lived in Bethlehem knew our family very well and his wife was the godmother to my sisters.

In Bethlehem, I was exposed from an early age to the Christian teachings and rituals. I even had my early schooling in a Lutheran school where stories from the Bible intrigued me. So it happened that in 1968, my family moved to Beirut, Lebanon within a year of the 1967 Israeli-Arab war. In Beirut, my eldest brother ...<< MORE >>

On June 1, 1909, strings of mystical and invisible rays descended from Heavens and gave birth to a child named Saleem El-Ashi. This child was born into a very humble family of modest means, but rich in Christian values and faith. No one at that time could have envisioned that this weak and sickly child would become the buzz of middle-eastern societies and for so many decades. He was known as Dahesh (an Arabic word that means “astounding”) due to his endowment with supernatural powers.

Many interpreted his powers as magic or derived from satin, but for the few that got to know him over the years, he personified a Spiritual Entity of enormous power—namely, that of Lord Christ. He did not boast about his powers, rather he was as humble and modest as a human being can be. He worked very hard throughout his 75 years shy 2 months of his life on earth at preparing his Spiritual Message to the world. He wrote tens of books and met with thousands upon thousands of people, yet only a few followed him. His Spiritual Message is known as Daheshism and its aim is Spiritual Guidance for those of open heart and ...<< MORE >>

Absurd or Humane?

One morning after finishing breakfast, I was on my way out the door when I noticed a small black spider on the wall next to the entrance. Most people would grab something and swat the little creature. Personally, I don't like to kill spiders, since they cause no harm and carry no diseases. My spiritual beliefs have taught me that all creatures possess varying levels of consciousness and emotion and that it is better to let them be. However, my home is my personal space, and I don't like to share it with crawling things. When such uninvited guests appear, I try to transport them safely back to nature without harming them.

This particular spider turned out to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. When I picked up a piece of paper to slide under the spider so that I could carry it outside, it felt endangered and hid under the floor lamp before I could get to it. I had very little time to waste, so I let it be, hoping it might find its own way outside.

That evening when I returned home, I turned on the lights and found the spider on the same wall. ...<< MORE >>

Everything in Life is Relative

A few years back, I looked at everything in life as being either black or white. Under such a narrow definition, any action is reduced to being either right or wrong. I guess I did not fully comprehend the ramifications of being a Daheshist in particular and a human being in general, or I would have understood that nothing is absolute. Once, while waiting my turn in traffic court, I heard the judge ask another defendant, "Do you plead guilty or not guilty?" The defendant responded, "Your Honor, I am a little bit guilty." The judge replied, "There is no such thing as being a little bit guilty. It's just like being pregnant: Either you are or you aren't." When it comes to human laws, many actions can be looked at in terms of absolutes, but How about the spiritual laws that govern Earth and the universe?

I truly believe that spiritual laws are absolute. However, our interpretations of them is relative. Spiritual laws are not always easy to understand; in many cases symbolism and allusion have been used to express them. The dilemma begins when we try to interpret spiritual laws narrowly and accept certain things ...<< MORE >>

The Farce We Call Life

Do you own anything in life? If you answer yes, what is it that you own? The house that you own will eventually fall apart and be torn down. The car you drive will eventually break down and have to be scrapped. Everything that is tangible will eventually disintegrate. What we own is nothing but material belonging to Mother Nature that we use while we are alive. Everything in life is borrowed. You come into this world naked, and you depart it pretty much the same way. Everything you think you own is assigned to you on a temporary basis. Ownership, then, is nothing but the privilege of using something for a while. It doesn't matter what you have accumulated or how much of it. Life is too short to attach yourself to things of absolute insignificance. In my opinion, how you live your life and what you accomplish are what benefit humanity and your own soul.

The most difficult aspect of life is not hard work or career development but relationships with people. If you were the only person left alive on Earth, you can no longer experience good vs. evil--eventhough good and evil thoughts are ...<< MORE >>

Diversity Among Us Requires Open-Mindedness

Our eyes allow us to see, helping us take whatever action needs to be taken. They operate something like sensors hooked up to a computer system. When sensors detect a particular event, they transmit a signal to the computer, where the situation is analyzed and the appropriate action is taken based on a preprogrammed scenario. In the case of a computer system, the same conditions always yield the same action. In the case of two human beings, the same conditions don't always yield the same results.

When two individuals look at the same object, one may see it as beautiful and the other may see it as ugly. It is rare to find two individuals who completely agree. The same phenomenon is observed with the other senses. One person may find a scent enjoyable, and another may find it offensive. One individual may find a certain type of music annoying, but another may enjoy it. Life wouldn't be so difficult if each person's behavior could be reduced to a reaction to a physical stimulus. However, human reactions to physical conditions are influenced by emotion and instinct, not merely by rational thought.

Most of us have been conditioned since ...<< MORE >>

Thomas Paine:
200 Years Ahead of His Time

A few months ago, while reading a collection of essays, I ran across some quotes from Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. I became curious to learn more about Paine's life and writings and was hooked once I acquired an abridged version of The Age of Reason, as well as Tom Paine: America's Godfather, published in 1945. What I read about Paine and his writings was shocking. Contrary to popular belief, history does not always credit those who deserve to be remembered. Thomas Paine has not received enough credit for his contributions; furthermore, in his case, the facts were distorted. Why? The answer will become obvious as you read on.

Who was Thomas Paine? He was born January 29, 1737, in Thetford, England. His father, Joseph Pain (Thomas preferred "Paine"), was a Quaker. He was a poor, pious man, who was a staymaker (a maker of corsets) by profession. Paine's mother was Frances Cocke, the daughter of a prominent attorney. Eleven years older than her husband, she belonged to the Church of England. Thomas had no brothers or sisters, and little is recorded about his childhood. When he was thirteen years old, he was removed ...<< MORE >>

Where is the Thinking?
Where is the Conscience?
An Appeal to Humanity.


Many claim that man is superior to the other creatures roaming this Earth because of his ability to think. I have recently lost my belief in this claim. How can a man of what is almost the twenty-first century be considered superior when he is capable of taking the lives of twenty-nine people in Hebron in cold blood in the name of religion? Where is the thinking? Where is the conscience? What hurts more than anything else is that the victims were gunned down while praying to the same God worshipped by the assailant, and in the same city where the remains of Abraham, the father of all, are buried.

This tragedy is only one of thousands that have taken place in this century, and almost every one was committed in the name of religion. The massacres of Jews in Hebron in the 1920's, the Der Yassin massacre, the Sabra and Chatila massacres are reminders that man does not always think. We cannot call the people who commit such atrocities "animals," because that would be a great injustice to the animals of this world.

Where is the thinking? Where is the conscience? Just ...<< MORE >>

On December 31, 2006, President Jimmy Carter wrote a commentary in the Washington Post talking about Faith, Commitments and Mideast Peace. His Commentary can be viewed at the following link:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2006/12/faith_commitments_and_mideast.html

The following is my response to his commentary:

Dear President Carter,

My grandparents from both sides of the family had to flee Turkey at the turn of the 20th century after the massacre of Christians there. My great grandparents from my mothers' side were killed. My grandparents, like many Christians, fled to the Holy Land in search for a peaceful place to live. My parents were born in Jerusalem and it wasn't long before the Jewish-Arab conflict began in 1948. My parents moved away from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to avoid the bloodshed and that's where I was born. I lived there until I was 8 then the 1967 war came about and we found ourselves fleeing there to a safe region. That region was Lebanon. I lived there until I was a teenager then the Lebanese civil war began in 1975. At that point, we were fortunate enough to migrate to the United States--the only place I am honored to call home.

I assure you, what my family endured is not unique, for ...<< MORE >>

I am an Arab-American who came to the United States about 20 years ago when I was 16. At that age, I was already molded by Middle Eastern culture and language. They were a part of me and always will be. After almost two decades of living in this country, I still speak English with a slight accent, and I still prefer Middle Eastern foods.

When I moved here, I liked certain things about my native culture and disliked others. At that time, though, I had a feeling deep down in my heart that I did not belong in the East and should move to the West. Could such feelings have been caused by the increasing Western influence in the region? Perhaps, but there is always something called fate.

My grandparents barely escaped from Turkey during the Armenian massacre of the 1920's. In the '40's, my family had to move from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to avoid fighting between Arabs and Zionists, only to find themselves fleeing the West Bank of Jordan for Lebanon shortly after the 1967 Israeli-Arab war. When the Lebanese civil war began, my family and I left for America. Thus, within six decades, my family was forced to leave ...<< MORE >>

Saleem El-Ashi was born in Jerusalem on June 1, 1909. His parents moved to Lebanon when he was an infant. Saleem's father died when he was 11 years old. His mother had to work hard to raise him and his sisters. Except for a few months spent in the American Mission orphanage in Lebanon, he never went to school or attended college, but he exhibited a love of literature and the visual arts. He began to write prose while he was in his teens. In the 1920's Saleem El-Ashi moved back to Palestine and lived in Bethlehem. He became famous in Palestine for the "supernatural powers" he had exhibited since childhood. Most people interpreted his supernatural powers as witchcraft and sorcery. His reputation grew. As the name Israel was assigned spiritually to Jacob, so was the name Dahesh assigned to Saleem. The exact translation of Dahesh is "astounding." By publishing some of his early works, he managed to acquire enough money to pursue his other goals in life.

Dahesh traveled throughout the Middle East and Europe and received a certificate from the Société Psychique Internationale on May 6, 1930, and a doctorate in psychic research from the Sage Institute in Paris ...<< MORE >>